Welcome to an Engaged Community

There's a better way to personalize your website experience. With myConnection, the profile you create allows you to set up a unique starting point for the tasks and transactions that you want to complete in your time on this website. Use myConnection to gather the information that you most care about from across this website into one central location, giving you greater control over how you connect with your community.

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance is currently reviewing all adopted budgets in the county before setting the tax rates, budgets, and levies that will be in place in 2017. Porter County was one of the first seven counties in Indiana to enter the budget review stage, as shown in the map below. The budget proposals are available online at the following link: Gateway budgets. The budgets are also available on this site by going to the "Budgets" tab. Click on the following link for our budget flier available at the Auditor's Office: County Budget flier, 2016-17. To check the budget-to-tax-billing status map for Indiana counties, click here.

Internal Control training underway

Under state legislation that passed last year, all political subdivisions in Indiana must adopt internal control standards and must provide internal control training to staff. Internal control is a process that can help an entity achieve its objectives in the areas of financial reporting, efficiency and effectiveness, and compliance. Porter County's compliance with the new state law is well underway, with the County Auditor's Office leading a series of training sessions for employees. Click on the "Internal Control" tab at the left for more information.

Internal Control article featured in The Journal

Indiana's law on internal controls in local government is the subject of an article authored by Porter County Auditor Vicki Urbanik that appears in the fall, 2016 issue of The Journal of Government Financial Management, a publication of the Association of Government Accountants. The article addresses the importance of internal controls and the training that has been implemented in county government to introduce employees to this important topic.

CEDIT revenues to rise for local units

Porter County government and municipalities will see an increase in their local income tax revenues in 2017. The State Budget Agency has certified that Porter County's CEDIT will total $24.7 million in 2017, an increase of about 6% over this year. The money comes from the 0.5% local income tax paid by Porter County wage earners. The following table shows the estimated 2017 distributions and this year's distributions.

Unit

2017

2016

Porter County

$5,160,822

$4,863,057

Valparaiso

$2,391,006

$2,253,052

Portage

$2,775,165

$2,615,046

Chesterton

$984,736

$927,920

Beverly Shores

$46,192

$43,527

Burns Harbor

$87,110

$82,084

Dune Acres

$13,714

$12,923

Hebron

$280,621

$264,430

Kouts

$141,591

$133,422

Ogden Dunes

$83,644

$78,818

Porter town

$366,073

$344,952

Pines town

$53,351

$50,273

.

Homestead program nets $246,500 for County General Fund

The Porter County Auditor's homestead compliance program in 2015 has resulted in deposits of more than $246,500 for the county's general fund. The money comes from taxes paid by taxpayers who improperly received the homestead deductions. State law allows county auditors to collect up to three years of ineligible homestead taxes and penalties and to deposit a portion of the money collected in the general fund. (To read more, see "Homestead compliance program nets revenue for Porter County.")